Macro photography

I bought a cheap macro lens (RM450) and I have been playing around with it. I have found it nice because you can always find something to take a picture of and it is easier to control the lighting. However, I realized that I need to change my thinking when shooting macro. For example, when shooting birds I often use ISO400 or even ISO800 because I need to take pictures in poor light or just OK light but the bird is jumping around. Also, I am taking pictures at 450mm and so shake is magnified. The third factor is my 300mm zoom is not very sharp at f/4.5 so I usually use f/9 or f/10 so the pictures are sharper but it means the light has to be better.

Yesterday I was looking at pictures of flowers on Flickr and saw that some of them were using ISO100. I almost slapped myself because I should be taking macro shots in the lower ISO ratings but I had completely forgotten because I am used to taking bird/people pictures. So, I am hoping that alone will improve my quality next time out.

I am hoping to head out to Sungai Sedim in Kedah on Saturday morning to do some more photography and take swim in the river. I'll post the best from my outing next week. Ciao.

One of my first macro shots

A palm leaf in the Botanical Gardens makes interesting patterns

Hari Raya

After returning from Bukit Fraser, I had a brief rest before the festivities of Hari Raya started. Hari Raya is a Malay word meaning “Day of Celebration” to mark the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. Across the Muslim world the name will be Aidilfitri or some other corruption of the original Arabic word. It is also called Hari Raya Aidilfitri here but commonly known as simply “Raya”.

My first stop was Kak Jamaliah’s house. I have been friends with her and her family for the last three years. They were quick to point out this is the third Raya that I have come to their house. I love talking to her mom, who is 87 (something she mentions frequently) but she speaks Malay with a thick accent and doesn’t adjust her language at all for me, the non-native speaker. We all sat around on the living room floor and had the traditional “kuih Raya” or “Raya cakes” of which there are about 1 million varieties. Ever so often, kids from surrounding houses would stop by and ask for “duit Raya” or “Raya money”. It is a lot like trick-or-treat at Halloween only you get a coin, usually a 50 cent piece. Needless to say the kids go to every house they can. Also, duit Raya is given in the form of small green envelopes with one or two ringgit inside. If you stop at a house usually you give an envelope to the kids from that family. I don’t have to because I am single and only married people should give them out. I tried to hand them out a couple of years ago and was reprimanded for it.

My second stop was Abang Mi’s house. His wife is near her due date and I am looking forward to celebrating the arrival of his first son any day now. I had some laksa (sour and spicy fish soup) and some ketupat (glutinous rice cooked inside a leaf) with a beef dish. The best food is served during Raya!

The village was having a fun fair for the kids in the nearby park. Fatihah, Abang Mi’s daughter, and her cousin Ali came back having just won a huge pear. They wanted to go again so I took my camera and followed.

The first game we played was coconut bowling. You stood about the distance of a bowling lane from a small goal that was shaped like a football or soccer goal. Then you rolled the coconut and if it went through the goal, you won a pear. I had to show off my mad skills, winning on my first throw. The younger kids got to step much closer and roll the coconut. In the end both Fatihah and Ali won pears. It was a blast to watch them play.

Fatihah helps Ali perfect his bowling form

Concentration is key in any sport

Ali gets a running start and Fatihah lends her support

Fatihah sends one towards the goal

Ali eyes the goal

Next we went to a part of the field where they had marked out 8 lanes. About two-thirds down each lane a chair was placed. Teenage girls from the village put a paper plate on each chair and then hid a piece of wrapped candy in a mound of flour. At the signal, the 8 kids would race down their lane, blow into the flour until they saw the piece of candy, then dive in and grasp it with their teeth. They then ran to the end of the lane and the first one to make it to the end with a piece of candy received an additional prize. The others just got to keep their piece of candy from the mound of flour. The kids were really enjoying it but Fatihah really got a face-full of flour and decided to go back to the house to clean up.

Blow, blow, blow your flour

Sprint for the finish

Candy is even sweeter when you work hard to get it!

This was my fifth Hari Raya in Malaysia and I think I enjoy it more every year. Definitely a fun time to meet with friends and experience the sights, sounds and culture that make Malaysia so wonderful!

Back from Bukit Fraser

Looks like a poinsettia but they are not native to Malaysia so I could be wrong.

Wow, I love going to Fraser’s Hill. Here in Malaysia there are basically three highland areas, Fraser’s Hill, Cameron and Genting Highlands. Genting is renowned for its gambling and amusement park. Cameron Highlands is the home of Boh tea and one cannot go there without taking in the gorgeous tea plantations there. Also, it has great trekking. Fraser’s Hill isn’t as popular as the other two so it isn’t crowded, even on public holidays. It is less developed, so there are not many things to do such as amusement parks or visiting tea plantations. However, the flora and fauna there are spectacular. Fraser’s is world-famous for its birdwatching. For my tastes, I prefer Fraser’s above Cameron and Genting Highlands.

My empty glass of fresh strawberry juice

The early morning spectacle at Jelai Highlands Resort was a little disappointing. Birds still came in to feast on the moths and insects that died around the parking lot lights during the night but nothing like one year ago. I did manage to take a couple good pictures of the common species around the resort. I didn’t focus on birdwatching but here is my list for the weekend:

1. Chestnut-capped laughingthrush
2. Chestnut-crowned laughingthrush
3. Oriental magpie-robin
4. Silver-eared mesia
5. Asian brown flycatcher
6. Little pied flycatcher
7. Long-tailed sibia
8. Lesser racquet-tailed drongo
9. Mountain fulvetta
10. Mountain leaf warbler
11. Large-billed crow
12. Streaked spiderhunter
13. Black-throated sunbird
14. Bar-winged flycatcher-shrike
15. Malaysian cuckoo-shrike
16. Yellownape (not sure Greater or Lesser)
17. Mountain Imperial Pigeon
18. Little Egret
19. Mountain Bulbul
20. Orange-bellied leafbird
21. Yellow wagtail

Portrait of a chestnut-capped laughingthrush

The orange-bellied leafbird and chestnut-crowned laughingthrush were new species for me. I have posted pictures of the blue-tailed bee-eater and it is one of my favorite birds but I really like the little pied flycatcher as well. Alas, I couldn’t get any good pictures of it.

I always enjoy the fact that the monkeys are there. I saw troops of dusky leaf monkeys and heard gibbons calling in the distance. Got to love that!

A dusky leaf monkey eyes the intruder to his realm (me!)

Maybe the highlight of the trip was the chance to see wild jungle pigs. Twice we saw them and the second time I almost had a picture but I had my macro lens on the camera and couldn’t get it focused fast enough. Gives me a reason to go back. Maybe I can get a good picture of them next time.

Fraser's Hill

Well, it is the holiday season here in Malaysia with Deepavali on Saturday followed by Hari Raya on Tuesday. I'm headed up to Bukit Fraser today (Friday). I went there about this time last year and just loved it. Not as developed as Cameron Highlands but if you love nature, especially birdwatching (and I do) you can't beat Fraser's. I'm staying at Jelai Highland Resort which is famous for its early morning birding and the crowd of photographers it draws. So, I will be there, right along side those guys with their bazooka lenses, clicking away with my pea shooter. Hopefully, I'll get some reasonable shots and share them with you when I get back. I also can't wait to hear the gibbons calling in the distance, which is one of my top ten sounds in the world. So Happy Deepavali and Salaam Aidilfitri and I will see you next week!

New Visa

I just found out the Malaysian government has decided I can stay here for two more years. So years 5 and 6, here I come!!!!

Development in Malaysia and How to Make Globalization Work

When I first came to Malaysia I walked around for about a month with my mouth open in surprise. I come from a very rural part of the US and the tallest buildings are silos and grain elevators. I stepped off the plane into a world of 15 story apartment buildings and those aren’t even the really tall ones. Many are 20 plus! Cranes dotted the landscape, lifting necessary materials to the top floors of buildings being constructed. In the past two years, two 20ish floor apartment buildings have gone up and two more business towers are breaking ground nearby. A new mall is set to open by the end of the year, the sixth in the city. Previously, I have only lived in one city large enough to have a mall.

Since I am a student of history I pondered what I saw and compared it to history. Then I drew an analogy. Here it is:

Late in the 1800’s, Britain ruled the world. The sun never set on the British Empire. Then Britain hit a plateau. It lost many of its colonies, including Malaysia. This isn’t to say Britain isn’t a powerful country today because it is. But no longer does it have in its former glory. The sun has set on the British Empire. Another eclipsed it, America.

Now as I gazed at the construction and rate of development that made my head spin, I wondered if history wasn’t repeating itself. America had enjoyed a good run as a “superpower” but had nothing to rival the things I was seeing. I thought America must be hitting its plateau and here was the one who would eclipse it, Asia (not Malaysia specifically). America was the Britain of the 1800’s and Asia was about to take over.

Now I still believe America has hit a plateau but I have backed off a bit on the meteoric rise of Asia. Why? Because the rate of growth that is happening here comes at a steep price.

I look out my office window onto a black, putrid river. Moments ago a boy came out of his house and flung a black sack of rubbish into the river. You can barely make out the bag’s shape as it floats on top of the black scum. This river flows directly into the ocean, maybe 200 meters from the new mall.

A thick haze hangs in the air and sometimes you can feel and taste the smoke from the fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan, islands in Indonesia, where burning is creating much of the haze. Daily the papers are reporting the air pollution index rating (API) and advising if it is safe to let your children play outside. It is hardest on those who suffer from asthma.

I believe the growth rate in Asia will continue at the current rate for several more years, maybe 20+. However, I wonder if the sacrifice for this unparalleled growth rate is worth it. Malaysia has “Wawasan 2020” which means “Vision 2020” or to be a first-world (developed) country by the year 2020. Is it worth reaching developed nation status if the price means by 2050 the country hits a ceiling due to destruction wrought to reach “Wawasan 2020”?

The problem is that you can’t really tell a person who is excited about upgrading from a motorbike to a used car that things are going to change because sustainable growth is now the target. He is thinking about how to make is life better and give his children an advantage. He is doing the right thing.

Unfortunately, it is a global problem. This isn’t a post to bash Malaysian environmental standards. It has to be dealt with on a global level. I feel the problem is that we are too used to deal with things by saying, “Oh, that is in Malaysia, so it is a Malaysian problem.” But today these things affect everyone, worldwide. Unfortunately, one common denominator drives things globally, that is: Money. Profit. The bottom line.

As long as these things tend to drive policy, business decisions and our lives it looks like a bleak future. Asia may surpass the US and become the new superpower but what will be the state of the world by the time Asia assumes the throne? Wish I had an answer to that one.

I am not trying to preach doom and gloom because I don’t feel that. I just realize that for the first time in the history of the world we must make decisions based not only on the logic “Is it good for me?” but also, “Is it good for everyone else?” We are facing consequences if we fail to heed Jesus’ command to “Love your neighbour as yourself.” Hmmm, maybe I don’t have a detailed answer but that would be a good start!

I realize as I have written this some things have become clear for me. First, I am stunned by the rate of growth in Malaysia. Second, I think it comes at a staggering cost. Third, the shrinking, globalizing world only works when we “Love your neighbour as yourself”. Progress and development without love are hollow shells, whether in Malaysia or the USA or wherever you hang your hat.

Native English speaker needed

Warning: This post will decrease your IQ by at least 7 points.

Last night I was in Giant, one of the “hypermarkets” here in Malaysia. In the States we would call them a Wal-Mart supercenter, one of those places you can buy bread, motor oil, picture frames and toilet paper all in the same place.

I was standing in line behind a Chinese couple in the express lane marked “10 items and below”. Actually, if I follow the Chinese couple’s logic, I was standing behind one Chinese person. Apparently, you can buy 15 juice drink boxes and it only counts as one item because they are all the same brand and flavor. So, they had around 30 items but about 8 types of items. Wouldn’t they get irate if the government used this logic for their income taxes? Government: We are sorry but your two children can only be claimed as one dependent since they are the same type and flavor. Please pay us more money!

Anyway, as the unit paid for their “items” I pondered the sign next to the express counter. 10 items or below. “That isn’t correct,” I thought, “but what would the correct sign say?” (This is a side effect of learning a second language and living overseas.) I thought and thought and decided, “It should say ‘10 items or less’” Since I happened to have a pen, I pulled it out and wrote “or less” underneath the “and below”.

I paid for my items (yes, only five!) and then walked to my motorbike. On the way there I kept saying, “10 items or less” to myself. It didn’t sound right. Then I realized, less is used with uncountable nouns and fewer is used with countable nouns. My “correction” of the sign was actually just as incorrect as the original “and below”.

Then I began to fantasize that the cashier told the manager that a white guy corrected the sign therefore it must be correct. So the manager called all the stores and told them to change the signs on all the express counters to “10 items or less”. So, if you see a sign at a Giant express counter that reads, “10 items or less” you know who to blame.

Disclaimer: In American English it is becoming accepted to say “less” with countable nouns. However, it is still incorrect and I would like to apologize to the Giant staff for my mistake. Sorry!

Javan Pond Heron

A Javan pond heron in breeding plumage

Sunset view from Bukit Genting

Sunset over Pulau Betong

Paddy field dragon

A dragonfly I found sunning himself on a
barb-wire fence in a paddy field.

Blue-tailed bee-eater

Blue-tailed bee-eater

This is one bird that I have come to love during my birdwatching trips. I tried to get into birdwatching prior to coming to Malaysia but just found it overwhelming, looking at a book and trying to figure out which bird I was looking at. Thanks for a friend here who is a knowledgeable birder, I have found hours of enjoyment watching birds. I sometimes go out to the rice paddies and found this guy taking a break from swooping across the fields and catching flying insects. Beautiful, isn't he?

Respecting each other and leaders

I support a sports team in the US that is off to a horrible start. They have a 3-2 record on the year (gasp!) and on a website they are calling for all the managers to be fired immediately. It embarrasses me.

Why has all respect been lost for leadership in the West? Why is it OK to gripe and complain if all your needs are not immediately met?

Of course this condition exists the world over, even here in Malaysia, but I find it is much less. What a breath of fresh air!

In the West we have gone away from respecting teachers, police, government officials and instead we are usually taught to challenge and even disobey them. The teachers don’t have all the answers. The police break laws themselves. And on and on. Honestly, it leads to a life of emptiness. No one can be fully trusted and there must be someone better to do the job of ______________ (fill in the name of the president, teacher, official, head coach you are mad at). No one is ever satisfied and no one can ever be satisfied with this kind of outlook and attitude in life.

Ok, I will admit the need for whistleblowers and constructive criticism but that isn’t the problem. We have plenty of those.

I enjoy the Malaysian attitude. Most people respect teachers, police officers and government officials. When people discover I am a teacher, they often say, “What a noble profession!”

These positions that I have talked about are the leadership positions within our society. Malaysians tend to accept the fact that no one can do a perfect job and are generally supportive. When the former prime minister (Tun Dr. Mahathir) recently lashed out against his successor (Abdullah Badawi) I felt the public’s reaction was one of mild embarrassment for their former head of state. It was ok to think those things or say criticisms quietly in the corner kedai kopi but don’t splash it across the front page of the newspaper.

In the US, however, President Bush and former President Clinton are engaged in a war of words about who was more negligent and allowed September 11 to happen. Does it embarrass Americans that this is happening? I would like to say YES! but I am afraid most are more concerned that the guy they support is shown to the least negligent.

Can’t we respect people anymore?

People

Malay boys from Kampung Bagan Belat

Malaysia is a mix of several ethnicities, the main three being Malay, Chinese and Indian.

The US is famed as a "melting pot" where races from all over the world are melted into one nationality, American. Malaysia is a melting pot of sorts but large lumps remain in the pot.

For example, I have no idea what my country of origin is, intermarriage and time having lost that information. Here in Malaysia, some Chinese families have been living here for 10-15 generations and yet still have strong ties to their ancestory.

This means that each culture strives to retain it's distinctiveness. This leads to interesting holidays and cultural events. Currently, the Lantern Festival is going on in the Chinese culture while the Malay Muslims keep the fast of Ramadan. Then, just before Ramadan ends the Hindu Indians will celebrate Deepavali, the festival of light.

This rich tapestry of cultures and ethnicities makes Malaysia very colourful and intruiging place to live.

Life in Malaysia

The last rays of light linger over Pantai Indah (Beautiful Beach)

Several years ago, when I started on this grand adventure of "living overseas" I had no idea where it would take me. It has taken me to Malaysia, this little place of earth and trees and water that feels more home to me at times than America, where I am from. I love Malaysia. I love the US. And I am very grateful to have had the chance to live in both places. I would like to share with you what I have learned on this journey and hope you can grow to love the beauty that is Malaysia.